


Life of Love

by SleepDeprivedIdiot__xoxo



Series: Tales of Haikyuu [5]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:28:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27981552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepDeprivedIdiot__xoxo/pseuds/SleepDeprivedIdiot__xoxo
Summary: Love is a funny thing. Sometimes it's beautiful and sweet. Sometimes it's painful and suffocating. Sometimes it leaves in the dead of night. And sometimes it returns with a sudden burst of light. But the one thing about love that holds true is that love takes on a life of its own, changing and growing with the ever flowing ebb of time. How it grows and evolves, though, is a secret that Akaashi has only just begun to understand. The secret of the Life of Love.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Series: Tales of Haikyuu [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023691
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Life of Love

Akaashi sat up straight and rolled his shoulders back, twisting his head to the side to stretch out the strained muscles in his neck. In front of him sat a large tablet with Clip Studio Paint Pro opened up to his latest manga project. Twirling his stylus between his fingers, he glanced around the room and saw his three coworkers that he shared the space with diligently working on their own projects. They all had headphones on as they worked and one of them jammed out to a silent concert. Giving a smirk at his coworker’s ridiculous antics, Akaashi turned back to his own project and started darkening the outlines of the characters that he had created. 

Straight out of university three years ago, Akaashi joined a huge and accomplished publishing firm, Sleepy EggSleepy Egg owned hundreds of famous magazine lines and published countless number one, best selling books. Because of his internet fame as a WebToons artist, Akaashi was recruited by the writing sector of Sleepy Egg.

Since then, he had produced two wildly popular action/sci-fi manga series that were both about a hundred chapters each. While on a brief hiatus to storyboard a new series, he had gotten a request from his boss, Keita, who oversaw the fiction and sports magazine departments, to “push Akaashi’s comfort zone” and create a one-shot slice of life manga mini-series. It wasn’t really Akaashi’s favorite genre to work with, but his editor insisted that this particular genre was in high demand due to the oversaturation of fantasy content in the market. Begrudgingly, Akaashi agreed and started the project that he was working on that day. 

The particular scene he was finishing up showed his male protagonist walking home from school with his boyfriend and their mutual best friend. The best friend was going on and on about her day while gesturing excitedly with her hands as the main character and boyfriend were listening on with amusement. In the particular scene, the following conversation ensued between the characters:

_ “Hey, are you guys doing anything this weekend?” -- best friend. _

_ “One of our favorite manga authors is doing a reading from his new series at the coffee shop, so we were gonna go.” -- main character.  _

_ “Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything more boring.” -- best friend.  _

_ “Why is that boring?” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “You’re going to have someone read a book to you. It’s basically the adult equivalent of storytime.” -- best friend.  _

_ “Would it be less boring if we said the series was about a famous chef who doubles as a serial killer. And when high status people come to eat at his restaurant, he feeds them the corpses of his victims.” -- main character. _

_ “Uhm. Less boring? Yes. Incredibly disturbing? Absolutely . What the fuck is wrong with you guys?” -- best friend.  _

_ “It’s a social commentary about how people of higher status satisfy their needs by preying on the lower classes of society. The chef kills disenfranchised people who have been victimized by the powerful influences of upper class society.” -- main character.  _

_ “I’m mostly in it for the blood and gore, haha.” -- boyfriend. _

_ “Of course you would be… How is killing the disenfranchised helping the disenfranchised?” -- best friend.  _

_ “It isn’t, it’s just a social commentary.” -- main character.  _

_ “Do you want to come?” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “I think I’ll stick to books about normal things like love, romance, angst, and strong and empowered women who meet equally strong but sensitive men.” -- bestfriend. _

_ “So, porn with plot.” -- boyfriend. _

_ “Basically.” -- bestfriend.  _

As Akaashi finished up the scene, he saved his work and glanced at the clock to see that it was quarter till 7pm. He gave a long sigh and exited out of the art program before booting down the monitor. Around him, his coworkers were doing the same and all began chatting about the stories they were working on. 

“How’s your story coming along?” one of Akaashi’s coworkers, a woman named Hana who was about two years older than he was, asked Akaashi as he packed up his bag. Akaashi gave a slight grimace at the question. 

“It’s coming,” he replied, slipping his stylus into its case and putting it away in the drawer by his desk. “How about yours, Hana-san?” 

“Pretty good,” Hana casually responded as she slung her bag over her shoulder and picked up her jacket from the back of her chair. “I can feel an artist block coming on though, and I’m dreading it.” 

“How come?” Akaashi asked, also tugging his bag over his shoulder and stretching his arms high above his head. 

“It’s this stupid break up scene I’m working on,” Hana groaned. “I never write angsty stuff. I’m a straight fluff kind of author.” 

“I can relate. This slice of life thing Keita-san asked me to write is… challenging,” Akaashi started with a sigh. “I’m not very good at writing so many domestic and real-life scenarios.”

“Not enough blood, guts, and action, huh?” Hana teased, making Akaashi chuckle.

“Something like that.”

“I still can’t believe you write things like that,” Hana replied with a smirk and an exasperated shake of her head. “You look like a fluff writer through and through.” 

“How come?” Akaashi laughed. “I think I can pull off horror and gore pretty well.” 

“Right, you just keep thinking that, Mr. Prim and Proper,” Hana chuckled.

“Hey, guys.” Akaashi and Hana both swiveled their heads towards another coworker, an older man named Yu. “Ren and I are gonna grab some drinks, you guys are free to join.” 

“I can come for a little,” Hana replied with a smile. She turned to Akaashi and gave the younger boy a questioning look. 

“I--uh,” Akaashi started with a sheepish smile. “I’m good, I think I’ll just go home.” 

“Okay, but we should go out together at some point! It’s been a while since all four of us got together.” 

“Sounds good.” 

The four manga authors walked out of the building together and parted ways. As Akaashi walked down the sidewalk towards his train station, he replayed the scene that he had been working on in his head and thought about the next scene that he would write. It would either be about the date between his main character and the boyfriend at the book cafe, or it could be a jump to a couple weeks after the date where Akaashi wanted to include a scene about the couple talking about university and their future together. 

Akaashi turned the idea over in his head, thinking hard about which scene would be a better fit for the next chapter. But, the more he played out both scenarios, the more he felt emotions bubbling up inside of him that had started appearing more frequently since he had started the project. 

It was a confusing mix of happiness, fondness, and a deep sadness. As the train station came into view, the more Akaashi felt his heart grow heavy and a weight settle on his chest. His mind started to spin with old memories and, in a desperate attempt to push them back into the box he had been storing them all this time, he pulled out his phone and called Hana to ask where the three coworkers had gone. 

About twenty minutes later, Akaashi found himself sitting at a table in a local pub with his coworkers, laughing and talking about the stories everyone wasl working on. The table was filled with empty beer mugs and glasses of fruity mixed drinks. Akaashi let all his thoughts and emotions be swept away by the warm rush of alcohol in his system. He and his coworkers exchanged story ideas with one another, commenting on what ideas seemed cool and those that seemed sacrilegiously cliched. As Yu critiqued Ren’s idea on a love confession scene, Hana bumped Akaashi’s elbow with her own. Akaashi looked at Hana and quirked an eyebrow at the devilish smirk on Hana’s lips. 

“I think someone’s got a secret admirer,” she said in a low and playful voice, jerking her chin towards the bar counter. Akaashi gave a laugh, his face feeling hot and flushed from the alcohol (and definitely nothing else), before looking towards the counter. 

Akaashi’s eyes landed on a man with delicate spiked up black hair with frosted tips who was quickly turning away, and he felt his heart jump as an ice cold chill ran through his veins. His breath caught in his throat and his heart pounded harshly in his chest as only one question flooded his mind.  _ Bokuto-san? _

But when the man turned back around, a heaviness settled on Akaashi’s heart when he didn’t recognize the man’s face. Akaashi turned away from him to look back at Hana who stared expectantly back at Akaashi, a shit-eating smile on Hana’s lips and a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Forcing as best a smile as Akaashi could, he grabbed his drink and held it up to his lips before speaking. 

“Do you really think he was looking at me?” Akaashi whispered over the edge of his glass. His tone held a hint of amusement and excitement that starkly contrasted his desire to run away from that place and from all the memories that ran rampant in his mind. 

“Yes! Go!” Hana immediately responded, pushing Akaashi out of his seat. 

Akaashi chuckled and quickly downed the rest of his rather full mug of beer before standing and making his way towards the stranger at the bar. With each step, Akaashi felt a fogginess take over his mind, drowning out his thoughts and emotions. By the time he reached the bar, the fog had turned into a thick haze, and he gave an easy smile as he tapped the man on his shoulder. The man turned around and smiled back at Akaashi, inviting Akaashi to take the seat next to him. 

“Hey there,” he said, extending out one of his hands. “I’m Taka.” 

“Akaashi,” Akaashi replied with a soft smile, taking Taka’s hand and giving it a short shake. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

“Likewise,” Taka replied with a laugh. “Can I buy you a drink?” 

“May,” Akaashi instinctively corrected, before immediately covering his mouth with his hands. “I’m so sorry, please forget I said that, I just got off work so my brain is still in “writer” mode.” 

“Ah, so you’re an author?” 

“Essentially, yes.” When Taka smiled, Akaashi felt his embarrassment from his sudden outburst start to melt away.

“That’s really cool, I’ve never met an author before. What do you write about?” 

“Mostly action, adventure, and sci-fi genres. Sometimes thrillers too when I’m feeling more daring.” 

“Oh god, please don’t turn out to be a serial killer,” Taka laughed. 

“I’m not,” Akaashi replied with a chuckle. “But if I was, I’d open a restaurant and feed your corpse to unsuspecting politicians.” 

Taka stared blankly at Akaashi for a moment, and a bolt of worry struck Akaashi’s heart at the thought that Taka wouldn’t know what he was referencing and would instead think that Akaashi was an actual psychopath. 

“Wait, isn’t that an actual book series?” Taka asked with a quirk of his eyebrow. “Or was it a manga?”

“Manga,” Akaashi replied, relieved that Taka had gotten the reference. But also regretting having brought it up at all. 

“The author came to Japan when it came out, right? He did readings all over Tokyo to promote it.” 

“He did,” Akaashi started with a small, melancholy smile, “I actually went to one of his readings in highschool with my boyfriend at the time.” 

__________

“Soooo, how was your date?” Akaashi glanced up from his tablet and saw Hana giving an amused smirk. “What was his name again? Tama?” 

“Taka,” Akaashi gently corrected with a laugh. “And it was fine.” 

“Just “fine”?” 

“Yes, just “fine.” Akaashi replied, shaking his head incredulously when Hana gave a small pout. 

“You’re no fun,” Hana commented, sitting back in her seat and bringing up her stylus to twirl it in her fingers. “Is there gonna be a second date?” 

“Not sure yet,” Akaashi replied, turning his attention back to her tablet. “Maybe.” 

“Oof, poor guy.” Akaashi looked back at Hana and quirked an eyebrow at her. She stared at Akaashi a moment and gave a grand sigh. “There’s never a second date when you say “maybe”. It’s the most cliche of cliched tropes. Date goes “okay”, and the unimpressed party says “maybe” to a second date because they don’t want to hurt the other person’s feelings by rejecting them outright. If I were Keita, I would send your chapter back to the drawing-board.” 

“I think you need a vacation, Hana-san,” Akaashi chuckled, leaning back into his seat and crossing his arms over his chest, his stylus wiggling up and down between his fingers. “Maybe take a break from all the angsty things you’ve been writing.” 

“Okay, firstly, I would  _ love _ a vacation,” Hana started with a smile and longing sigh. “And, secondly, it’s because I know you too. If you don’t say “yes” right away, it’s always a “no”.” 

“That’s not true, I went out with you guys two weeks ago to that bar even after I said “no”.” 

“Yeah, and we were all shocked at the plot twist!” 

Before Akaashi could respond, Hana looked towards a headphone wearing Yu, picked up an eraser from her desk, and threw it at him, hitting him squarely on the head. Yu whipped around to look at her and furrowed his eyebrows as he took his headphones off. 

“If you went on a date with Akaashi and he said “maybe” to a second date, what would you think?” Hana questioned rather loudly across the room.

“It’s a “no”,” Yu immediately responded. “When Akaashi doesn’t say “yes” right away, then it’s a “no”.” 

“See,” Hana said, looking back at Akaashi and giving a  _ “I told you so” _ look. Akaashi scowled lightly at Hana, his lips quirked to the side in a small frown. 

“I’m not sure if I should be offended or not,” Akaashi commented, looking back and forth between Yu and Hana. As Akaashi turned his attention back to his tablet, he muttered under his breath, “I don’t think I do that.” 

In the scene Akaashi was working on, his main character and the boyfriend were in their second year of university. They were on a walk through their favorite park talking and reminiscing about their time in high school, their childhood together, and where the next few years of life would take them and their relationship. 

The boyfriend had just been offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to transfer school to play for a world renowned college volleyball team. In the United States. But that transfer basically came with a guaranteed offer to play on a professional team. Going pro was something that the boyfriend had dreamed about since he had started playing volleyball in elementary school, and it was finally about to come true. Akaashi’s main character was beyond ecstatic, of course, but the main character was also sad that the two of them wouldn’t be finishing university together. In the scene, Akaashi’s main character and the boyfriend were having this conversation: 

_ “Do you think you’ll get to meet any famous pro players while you’re there?” -- main character.  _

_ “I hope so! I want to meet as many pros as possible and play in as many games as I can!” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “That sounds amazing, I’m so happy for you.” -- main character.  _

_ “Thanks. But I’m sure you’ll meet plenty of famous authors when you become a famous author too!” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “I wouldn’t consider a manga artist an “author”.” -- main character.  _

_ “Why? You’re creating stories and sharing them with the world. I think that makes you an author just like someone who writes books.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “You really think so?” -- main character.  _

_ “Of course I do. I think you’ll be the most amazing author of all time. And I’ll be your number one fan.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “It’s nice to know that I already have a number one fan, haha” -- main character.  _

_ “Number one fan and president of your fan club!” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “Oh lord, you’re ridiculous.” -- main character.  _

_ “But you love me.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “Yeah, I really do… I’m going to miss you.” -- main character.  _

_ “It won’t be for too long. Two years will fly by, and I’ll make sure to join a pro team in Japan after I graduate. Plus, we’ll Skype every day” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “I know, but, still. I’m gonna miss you” -- main character.  _

_ “I’ll miss you too. But nothing’s gonna change, you’ll see. I promise… Oh hey! Look! They turned the fountain on! Let’s go make a wish!” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “Haha, okay, okay, you don’t have to pull. What’re you gonna wish for?” -- main character.  _

_ “You know the rules. I can’t tell you or it won’t come true! Do you have a quarter?” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “Maybe.” -- main character.  _

_ “So, that’s a no, haha.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “Haha, what’s that supposed to mean?” -- main character.  _

_ “If you don’t give an immediate “yes”, then it’s always a “no”.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “That’s not true...Actually, no, I think you’re right” -- main character.  _

_ “Of course I’m right. I know you better than you know yourself. Here, I have two quarters. On the count of three, okay? One… two...” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “Three.” -- main character. _

As Akaashi finished up the scene, he had a soft smile on his lips and a wonderful warmness spreading throughout his heart. Sitting back in his chair, AKaashi gave his progress a good once over and nodded curtly in approval. 

He rolled his shoulder back and stretched out his neck, glancing at his coworkers to see that they were all busy working on their own projects. There was a tense silence in the room that no one dared break in fear that it would interrupt the workflow of the others. But it’s not like Akaashi minded the silence, because it let him remember one of his last, happiest memories with  _ him _ in peace.  _ I hope you’re doing well, Bokuto-san, living your dream and best life.  _

_________

The forecast had predicted a warm and sunny day, but, boy, were they off. It had been raining non-stop since Akaashi left his apartment, and the rain only grew heavier and heavier with every passing minute. Akaashi sat at his desk again, powering on his tablet and taking his stylus out of its case when Hana and Ren walked in. 

“Gooooood morning!” Hana greeted, closing her umbrella and shaking off the water droplets into the floor. 

“Morning,” Ren echoed, giving a huge yawn and stretching his arms above his head. His hair was damp and his raincoat was absolutely drenched. As he moved to his workstation, he dripped water all over the ground. 

“Goodmorning, Hana-san. Ren-san,” Akaashi replied, amused at the polar opposite dispositions of his two coworkers. “I take it it’s still raining outside?” 

“Like cats and dogs,” Hana replied as she took a seat at her desk. “What does that expression even mean? “Raining cats and dogs”. It makes no sense if you really think about it.” 

“It comes from a Greek expression “cata doxa”,” Akaashi responded, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. 

A soft smile graced Akaashi’s lips as his mind flitted back to the time when things seemed so hopeful and bright, and to a similar conversation he had had with the sun in his life. “It means “contrary to belief”, so the expression is basically saying it’s raining unbelievably hard.” 

“Huh, I guess you learn something new every day,” Hana commented with an enlightened expression. “Where did  _ you  _ learn that?” 

“In another life.” Akaashi’s answer was quiet, and his tone held a tint of longing for a way to go back to that life. A life of inane questions and answers to impress the only person in the world that mattered to Akaashi.

Before Hana could respond, Akaashi gave the manga artist as best a smile as he could, then took out his headphones from his bag and plopped them over his ears. Akaashi scrolled through his playlist and played a soft, instrumental piece as he opened up his project and began working. 

In this next scene for Akaashi’s story, two years had passed for his main character and the boyfriend. The boyfriend had moved to California while the main character stayed in Tokyo to finish his own education. 

There was an awkward adjustment period for the first two months as the two struggled with the 17 hour time difference, but they had figured out a perfect Skype call schedule that they had stuck to religiously. And, for the first year and a half, it felt as though nothing had changed at all. The main character was still the affectionate bookworm who had a way with words, and the boyfriend was still the optimistic dreamer who took the world in stride.

But, as was life, the two of them slowly grew up and into different people. Responsibilities changed, priorities shifted, personalities evolved, and the distance eventually took its toll. The Skype call schedule that the two had worked so hard to create started to crumble as calls were rescheduled, skipped, or missed all together. And during the calls that were answered, the conversations were short and tense as the stress and frustration of their situation bubbled up and boiled over. This was the conversation Akaashi’s two characters were having: 

_ “Hey.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “Hi.” -- main character.  _

_ “How’s your morning been?” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “Fine. How was your day?” -- main character.  _

_ “Good.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “...”  _

_ “So… what do you have planned for today?” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “Just homework. I’m a little behind on my assignments.” -- main character.  _

_ “Did you skip class again to work on your WebToon?” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “No. I did not.” -- main character.  _

_ “Why are you getting mad? It’s just a question.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “I’m not mad. Sorry, I guess I’m just a little stressed with all the work. How are you?” -- main character.  _

_ “I’m fine. Stressed too.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “Have you been eating and sleeping well?” -- main character.  _

_ “You don’t have to keep asking me that. Yes, I’m taking care of myself.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “Why are you getting mad at me? Am I not allowed to be concerned about you? You always used to stay up late to train and missed meals to practice longer.” -- main character.  _

_ “That was a long time ago. I haven’t since I moved here.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “It’s only been two years since you moved there, what do you mean “a long time ago”? You make it seem like you’ve been there for forever.” -- main character.  _

_ “Can we not fight? Please. Practice was brutal, and I’m really tired.” -- boyfriend. _

_ “...”  _

_ “Yes, I’m sorry. I’m just really, really stressed with work, I didn’t mean to take it out on you.” -- main character.  _

_ “It’s okay. I wasn’t helping the situation.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “At least the semester is half way over. Just one more, and you’ll be back in Japan, right?” -- main character.  _

_ “Oh, about that…” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “What?” -- main character.  _

_ “I… well... .” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “What’s wrong?” -- main character. _

_ “LA Blaze, the pro team in Orange County, California… They want to recruit me when I graduate.” -- boyfriend. _

_ “Oh, wow. That’s… amazing, I’m really happy for you.” -- main character.  _

_ “You don’t sound happy?” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “I am, I just--- why didn’t you tell me before?” -- main character.  _

_ “I didn’t want to say anything until it was official.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “I understand, but I still would’ve liked to have been informed. This is a huge life decision and...” -- main character.  _

_ “And?” -- boyfriend. _

_ “And it might mean that I won’t get to see you again for a long time.” -- main character. _

_ “I know…” -- boyfriend. _

_ “Why didn’t you tell me?” -- main character. _

_ “If I didn’t get it, then I would have worried you for nothing.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “It’s not a matter of me worrying or not, I just don’t want to feel like you’re shutting me out of your life.” -- main character.  _

_ “Please, can we not do this again? For the millionth time, I’m not “shutting you out” of my life. It was just one decision.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “But it’s not just this one decision. You didn’t tell me about when you were awarded MVP of your last championship game, you didn’t tell me that you visited New York with your team, you didn’t tell me that you got to meet the US national team, you didn’t--” -- main character.  _

_ “Alright, alright, I get it. You don’t have to keep bringing it up, I told you I was sorry.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “If you were sorry then why didn’t you tell me? Did you think I would be mad? Did you think that I wouldn’t support your decision? Have I never not supported you?” -- main character.  _

_ “I told you, it wasn’t a sure fire thing. Why do you always assume the worst? You know, I get that you’ve always been insanely smart and the top of your class, but you’re not always right about everything.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “I don’t always “assume” you’re thinking the worst.” -- main character.  _

_ “Yes, you do. Every time I have to miss a call, you assume that I’m overworking myself or that I’m “growing distant.” And when I don’t tell you about every little thing I do every day, you think I’m trying to shut you out. How is that not assuming the worst?” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “It’s not “every little thing”. I just want to feel like I’m still a part of your life.” -- main character.  _

_ “You are a part of my life. If you weren’t, then why would I keep taking the time to call you every day when all we ever do is fight?” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “We don’t always fight.” -- main character.  _

_ “Then what are we doing right now?” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “....”  _

_ “I think we should both just take a step back and come back to this later. Yelling at each other isn’t going to get us anywhere.” -- main character.  _

_ “No, we need to talk about this. It feels like all we ever do is fight, and I don’t... It’s hard enough trying to make this work from half-way around the world, and when I have to go to bed mad or upset every night, it just….” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “Just what?” -- main character.  _

_ “Doesn’t… feel… worth it.” -- boyfriend. _

_ “... Have you ever thought that maybe you’re not the only one that feels that way?” -- main character.  _

_ “...” _

_ “Maybe we should take a break, then.” -- boyfriend.  _

_ “Maybe we should.” -- main character. _

As Akaashi finished up the last bit of the conversation, he gave a grand and emotion riddled sigh. Outside, the torrential downpour had turned into a light rain that would persist throughout the week, obscuring the sun and leaving the world devoid of its brilliant colors. 

_________

Akaashi sat at a table at a local restaurant, absentmindedly twirling the straw of his drink with his finger and picking at the french fries he had ordered. A few minutes later, he heard his name being called and looked up to see one of his high school best friends walking towards him, a smile on her lips and an excited look in her eyes. 

“Hey!” Rai said, taking a seat in front of Akaashi and immediately popping a french fry into her mouth. “Sorry I’m late! Did you wait long?” 

“No, I just got here,” Akaashi replied, taking a sip of his drink. “I saw your match the other day, you played really well.” 

“Thanks!” 

“When’s the next one?” 

“Not for a while. The season’s over, so the team’s just chilling.” 

“Oh, okay. That’s nice that you get a break now.” 

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to relaxing and catching up with friends!” 

“Who’ve you met up with so far?” 

“You and some of the other girls that I played volleyball with in high school,” Rai started, picking up another french fry and waving it in the air. “And Kuroo, of course. He’s been so clingy since I got back. It’s gotten a little much.” 

As Rai spoke, she took out her phone and tapped the screen a few times before turning it towards her. It was a picture of her with her old team at an amusement park with a couple of Akaashi’s old teammates, Kuroo, and some of the old Nekoma team. 

“Looks like you guys had a lot of fun,” Akaashi commented with a smile as he took the phone from Rai. “Sorry I missed it.” 

“Don’t be, we’ll all hang out next time when you don’t have a deadline to make,” Rai laughed.

“Uhm, excuse me?” Akaashi and Rai both looked to see a younger girl standing by their table with a phone and notepad in his hands. “You’re Yokoyama Rai, right? The volleyball player on the Japan National team?” 

“The one and only,” Rai replied with a smile. The boy gave a sheepish grin and held out the notepad with a pen. 

“Could I get an autograph? And a picture maybe?” 

“Sure,” Rai chuckled.

Rai snatched up the items from the boy and began scribbling away. Akaashi gave an amused smirk and turned his attention back to the phone, slowly flipping through more pictures that Rai had taken. But when he got to one picture, he felt his heart drop into his stomach and the blood freeze in his veins. 

Akaashi stared at the image of Rai with her arm slung around Bokuto’s shoulder while Bokuto stood hand in hand with a very handsome foreign man. It looked as though the three were standing near the Hollywood sign, probably when Rai had traveled to the states for a match. The three of them looked happy and enjoying their time together, and it made Akaashi’s stomach churn in the most nauseating way. Who was that man? Were they on a date? Are they dating? Why was Akaashi feeling so strangely upset by it after all this time? 

“Whatcha looking at?” Akaashi looked up from the phone and saw Rai leaning over the table, her arms crossed in front of her, trying to look at the picture. The little boy was nowhere in sight. “Oh.” 

Rai’s face dropped a little, and she watched the manga author intently, looking for some kind of emotion behind Akaashi’s skillfully crafted poker face. 

“It looks like he’s doing good,” Akaashi said with a smile. “I’m really happy for him.” 

“Yeah, he’s been really living it up,” Rai hesitantly started with a nervous laugh. “He took me around Hollywood when I was there, and we visited a lot of the more touristy sights.” 

“Like where?” Akaashi asked, turning the phone face down and passing it back to Rai. 

“Universal studios, the boardwalk, Bel-air,” Rai counted off on her fingers, her head tilted slightly and her eyes looking up and to the side as she recalled each mini-adventure she had gone on with  _ him _ … and the man. “He showed me The Getty Museum in LA too. You should definitely visit when you get the chance, it’s really, really cool with lots of art works and stuff. I think you’d really like it.” 

“Sounds like it,” Akaashi laughed, crossing his arms on the table and leaning forwards to take a sip of his drink. 

Rai went on and on about her favorite parts of the trip, not mentioning the man once. Akaashi knew why she wasn’t, and he knew he should’ve appreciated it. But all Akaashi desperately wanted to know was who that man was and if  _ he _ was happy with him. If  _ he  _ was in love with him. If they were living the future that Akaashi had thought he would get to live. And, if there would ever come a day when Akaashi could remember  _ him _ and only feel fondness and love. 

_________

“Hey.” Akaashi looked up from his tablet to Hana and quirked an eyebrow at her. “I need your help with this scene.” 

“What’s wrong?” Akaashi asked, setting his stylus down.

“It’s this super angsty scene where two lovers are pining after each other,” Hana explained with a frown. Akaashi leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling, quirking his lips to the side and furrowing his eyebrows in concentration. 

“What’s happened up to that point?” 

“So this girl and this boy grew up together and had a huge crush on each other for a long time. But neither of them had the guts to tell each other. Flashforward two years later, they’re both single and still thinking about each other. What happens next?” 

“Mmm,” Akaashi hummed, furrowing his eyebrows in concentration. “Are they still in contact with each other?” 

“Not really. They have each other’s numbers, but they haven’t talked in a while.” 

“Oh…” Akaashi trailed off and gave a deep sigh, willing away the sudden pain in his heart and the weight settling on his chest. He looked back at Hana and paused a moment before speaking again. “How about writing a scene where they’re both writing letters to each other but never mailing them? Or typing out texts to each other and never sending them?” 

“Jesus, that’s heartbreaking,” Hana replied with wide eyes. Her mouth hung open for a moment before she gave a smirk. “It’s perfect. You should switch genres to angsty love!” 

“I don’t think so,” Akaashi said with as best a smile as he could give. “I don’t really like thinking about stuff like that.” 

“Yeah, I get that. That’s why I hate writing this stuff too. I always end up using my own failed relationships as source material, and it just brings up way too many bad memories.” 

“If that’s true,” Yu chimed in, “then based on what I’ve read so far, “bad” is an understatement.” Akaashi looked at the smirking man who was staring at Hana, and gave a quiet chuckle. 

“I would take offense, but you’re not wrong,” Hana replied with a laugh. Then, she looked at Akaashi and asked, “What about you? I just about cried when I read the part about your main finding out that his ex might have a new boyfriend. There’s no way you just came up with that out of thin air.” 

“Ah…” Akaashi started, frantically searching for the words to say. “I just read a lot of romance novels for research.” 

“Damn,” Sato commented. “Send me a list of those books, I could use some inspiration too, these lovey dovey scenes are killing me.” 

“I’d just read Akaashi’s manga if I were you,” Hana playfully teased. “Plenty of angst and love in there.” 

“Love?” Akaashi asked, surprised at Hana’s comments about her story. “You think there’s a lot of love in my story?”

“Absolutely. There’s no way your main would be hurting that much if he didn’t really, really love the boyfriend. And there’s no way the boyfriend would have been able to love the main so much if the boyfriend didn’t love the main back in the same way. Honestly, I think it’s a really beautiful and realistic story about how love changes and grows throughout life.” 

Akaashi listened to Hana’s comments and praises about his story, a feeling growing inside of him that warmed his heart in the most amazing way. Memories started to fill Akaashi’s mind of all the little things he had so deeply locked away, and, instead of running from them, Akaashi let them overflow until he was left in a stupor of wondrous nostalgia about the love he still held in his heart. 

_________

Ending a story was always the hardest part. After having spent so many long hours storyboarding, writing, re-writing, and re-writing again, having to end the story held a stress that Akaashi couldn’t even begin to describe. The end had to not only be satisfying, but also realistic, appropriate, and fulfilling. And, for the life of Akaashi, he had no idea how to end his story. 

“This is impossible,” Akaashi groaned, setting his stylus onto the table and leaning back in his chair. He crossed his arms over his chest and gave an annoyed sigh at having to throw away yet another failed ending scene. 

“You good?” Akaashi glanced up to see a worried Hana looking back at him . Giving another sigh, Akaashi shook his head. 

“I’m working on my last chapter.” 

“Ohhh, yeah, those are always the worst. Maybe take a walk and clear your head a little?”

“That’s a good idea. Thanks.” 

Akaashi stood from his desk and stretched his arms over his head before making his way to the door. Shutting it softly behind him, Akaashi walked down the long hallways of the building towards the exit that led out in the courtyard. As he walked, he wracked his brain for some kind of inspiration or idea on how he would end his story. 

If it were a sci-fi, action story, Akaashi probably would’ve ended it with his hero moving onto his next adventure, leaving the reader to decide what would happen next. But Akaashi had no idea if that would even work for his story since he had spent the whole series detailing out every next scene and not giving the reader the option to think that something else had happened. Akaashi quickly reached the doors to the courtyard, and when he stepped outside, he threw his arm over his face and squinted harshly at the blinding sunlight that suddenly hit his eyes. 

“Akaashi?” 

Akaashi didn’t need to see who was calling his name. He recognized the voice in an instant. Letting his arm fall to his side, it only took a moment for his eyes to adjust to see Bokuto standing at the other end of the courtyard. His hair was a little shorter now, and he wore jogging pants and a sweatshirt like he always used to. Little things were different, but he still looked exactly the same as in Akaashi’s memories. Even the positively stunned expression on Bokuto’s face looked exactly the same. 

“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi breathed, the name he hadn't uttered in so long rolling off his tongue as easily as it did the day he had met Bokuto. 

Akaashi stood stuck to the ground, a flurry of emotions hitting him like a bus. His heart pounded wildly in his chest, and he found it impossible to breathe. It seemed like an eternity had passed as he and Bokuto stood just staring at each other until, finally, Bokuto made the first steps towards Akaashi. 

Akaashi sucked in a deep breath and held it in his lungs as he started to move towards Bokuto. The two met in the center of the courtyard, and an incredibly awkward silence permeated through the air as the two stared in disbelief at each other. 

“How are you?” Bokuto finally asked, giving a soft smile. 

“Good,” Akaashi replied in a dazed tone. “You?” 

“Good.” 

Another silence fell between the two. Bokuto glanced away and pursed his lips while Akaashi quirked his lips to the side and stared blankly at the logo on Bokuto’s sweatshirt. Finally, Akaashi broke the silence with the burning question that had been screaming in his mind the moment he saw Bokuto. 

“What’re you doing back in Japan?” Bokuto looked back at Akaashi and stared a moment before smiling and answering. 

“I’ve actually been back for a couple months now.” 

“Really?” Akaashi didn’t think he could be more shocked than he already was, but, boy, was he wrong. “How come?” 

“Honestly? I really missed being able to buy onigiri at any convenience store.” Bokuto gave a sheepish chuckle, and Akaashi smirked at his poor attempt to make light of an uncomfortable situation. 

“You really haven’t changed at all,” Akaashi laughed. Bokuto smiled warmly and shook his head. 

“Not one bit.” 

“So, why are you  _ here? _ ” Akaashi asked, gesturing to the buildings surrounding the courtyard. 

“I’m being interviewed for a sports magazine.” Bokuto brought his arm up and glanced at his wrist watch before continuing, “In fifteen minutes actually.” 

“With who?” 

“Keita-san?” 

“Oh, he’s my boss.” Akaashi paused a moment, then smiled and asked, “Want me to take you to him?” 

“That’d be great,” Bokuto replied with a smile of his own. 

The two made their way back towards the doors that had brought Akaashi into this unexpected and dreamlike moment. 

“I read your last two managa series, they were amazing,” Bokuto said, bumping Akaashi’s shoulder lightly with his own. 

“Thank you, I’m glad you liked them,” Akaashi responded, smiling softly up at Bokuto.

“I loved them. Are you working on anything else right now?” 

“Yeah, actually, a slice of life mini-series.” 

“What’s it called?” Akaashi pursed his lips and hummed before breaking out into a smile.

“The Life of Love.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Taylor Swift's "The 1"


End file.
